Dark Soul, Light Soul
by DraculasBrideMarishka-x
Summary: Meranda Is The Only Daughter Of Galbatorix, Hating Life She Flee's The Castle But While On The Road She And Her Dragon Discover Some New Friends
1. Prolouge

Prologue 

Meranda sat at her window facing outwards. Her feet were dangling out as she looked over the landscape of Alagasia; a sigh escaped her and she looked down. Meranda was her name; the only daughter of Galbatorix, her mother had been killed by Galbatorix in a fit of rage when she had disobeyed him.

Galbatorix told Meranda that she was an unparalleled beauty, but he only said things like that when he was in a good mood with her. She was 15 years old and had long, curly blonde hair, her eyes were electric blue and she was quite tanned. She was very slim but muscley; this was because she had a very active lifestyle, there was a rare moment when she could just sit down like this. Meranda also had a 6 month old dragon, her name was Elestra and she was a pure white dragon. Galbatorix had lied to the people of Alagasia about how many dragon eggs were left because he wanted one for his daughter. He taught her how to fight with swords and her body, but his greatest achievement was teaching her how to use magic. She knew everything he did and could do it almost as well as he could. Meranda was a princess, when her father died she would become queen, surely that was a life that every girl would want, but she didn't. Meranda hated being who she was, everywhere she went people would bow to her and say very little. It was as if they were so scared to say something wrong and she would tell the King. Meranda was to protected for her liking, she was a free spirit and loved being outside with Elestra but her father kept her inside a lot. He was worried about where she might go or who he might meet. If she was anything like her mother she was very good at making friends with his enemies.

High above her Meranda could hear the roar of Dragons; she looked up and saw a red tail flick over the edge of the dragon hold. The Dragon hold was on the highest turret of the castle, she could see that far because she was only partly human. Her mother had not been of this world, she had travelled to Alagasia while she was exploring, when she fell in love with Galbatorix she refused to go back to her people so they cast her out. Meranda rolled her eyes and stood up; she exited her room and walked up the long, winding stair case. Half way up she met Murtagh who had a long cut down his face and was scowling as he stomped down the stairs loudly. When his eyes met Meranda's he looked down and bowed, she sighed loudly and folded her arms,

"You do not have to use niceties with me Murtagh; we both know where we stand with each other, were you just up with the dragons?"

He straightened his back and wiped a line of blood from his face and continued to scowl at her,

"Yes I have, and none of them seem to be in a good mood. I would be carful if I were you Princess,"

Meranda laughed coldly,

"Murtagh if you were me you would want me to go up there just so I would get killed, I think I can handle my own dragon thank you very much,"

Murtagh just shrugged and pushed past her, Meranda pulled a face at him and continued to walk up the stairs. When she reached the door that led to the dragon hold she pushed it open cautiously and looked around to see what was going on. Thorn and Elestra were standing in the middle of the large marble room snarling at each other while Shruiken was standing in between them whipping his tail furiously. Because of her abilities with magic she could hear all of the dragon's conversations,

"Thorn apologise to Elestra now!"

Thorn curled his top lip back and snarled dangerously at Elestra, Meranda walked into the room and leaned against the door silently,

"But I did nothing wrong Shruiken, it was all her!"

Elestra roared at him but was soon silenced by Shruiken,

"If the both of you don't start getting along soon I will have to report you too Galbatorix, he will know what to do with you,"

Meranda grinned and laughed, her father was the only thing the dragons were scared of and they would do anything to avoid a meeting with him. The dragons looked over at Meranda and in an instant the air seemed less tense. Meranda smiled and walked over to them,

"Oh come now Shruiken, I'm sure there is someway to resolve this without involving my father,"

Elestra bounded over to Meranda and nuzzled her snout against Meranda's cheek,

"Hello little one,"


	2. Escape

Chapter 1: Escape

Thorn looked over at Meranda and growled loudly, Elestra looked over at him and snorted. Meranda sighed loudly, _and so it begins, again,_

"What's happened now Shruiken?"

The huge black dragon shifted its weight onto the other two claws and held his head higher,

_The usual, princess. They are fighting over nothing again, Elestra has apologised after much persuasion but Thorn refuses,_

Meranda groaned, she was always the one who had to deal with the feuds between the dragons, she thought that it was all her Father thought she was capable of doing. Just as she was about to open her mouth to reply she could hear footsteps coming up the stairs, she turned around and looked at the door, Thorn shrunk back and stood behind Shruiken,

"Now you have done it, you two should have listened to Shruiken,"

Meranda whispered to them, the door handle twisted and the door flung open. Galbatorix's dark figure stood in the door way, he stood tall and proud. The sunset seemed to highlight his features giving him an eerie look. His eyes looked around the room and fell upon his daughter, who was standing next to her dragon with her arms crossed,

"Meranda darling, I thought you said you could control the dragons?"

He only spoke to her like this when he thought she had done something wrong,

"I have only just come up here so I am trying to find out what is wrong, and then I will try and sort it out, if that is alright with you oh, darling father of mine,"

Galbatorix's face darkened,

"Come with me child,"

Meranda unfolded her arms and began to walk towards her father; she looked back at Elestra and smiled,

_Don't worry; I'll be back soon,_

Elestra whimpered but nodded,

_Just be careful of what you say, I still remember the last time you said that to me,_

But Meranda just laughed and followed her father out of the room, when they got to the bottom of the stairs Galbatorix grabbed the sleeve of her dress and pulled her into a large room on the other side of the hallway, he slammed the door shut and turned to face his daughter,

"Never speak to me like that ever again! I am your father and you will _**respect me**_,"

A vain appeared on his forehead as he got angrier but the minute but Meranda stayed calm, she had had this fight with so many times before that she was getting used to it,

"I was merely saying how it was father; I doubt very much you would have wanted me to lie to you,"

Galbatorix threw his hands up in the air and turned around, his face twisting in anger; he hated being made a fool of in front of his Dragon, especially by his own daughter,

"Listen _you_, the next time I have to talk to you like this I will strip your powers and take Elestra away! I am sick and tired of having to deal with you every single day you stupid little brat!"

Meranda frowned and looked at her fathers back,

"I am not a stupid little brat! You are the one acting like a brat! I said nothing wrong to you!"

Galbatorix turned around to face Meranda, _How dare she talk to me like this! _He thought to himself,

"Listen you insolent little girl, if you don't stop this right now I'll…"

"You'll what? Kill me like you did with my Mother? Put a curse on me then tell me to go to my room? There is nothing you can do to me that will be new because it's all been done before!"

Galbatorix walked over to her and pointed a finger at her,

"I can make the whole of Alagasia believe that you died of natural causes if I wish just so I can disguise your sudden death if you don't start speaking to me better!"

Meranda blinked then laughed at him,

"You only told Alagasia about me because you wanted them to know that if you ever died then you would have someone else to have the throne! And then you only told them I was a rider when Eragon and Saphira were discovered because you wanted to show off the fact that you had more riders! All you care about is power! Not me and not Elestra!"

Even though Galbatorix knew his daughter was right he wouldn't admit it, he could not harm his daughter because he needed her. She was as good as him with magic and was capable of defending herself; he needed her for the battles ahead. He could not risk loosing someone as important as her, the threats he made were just empty, but she didn't know that, he waved his hand and teleported her back into her room and locked the door. Meranda sat on her bed and crossed her arms and legs muttering to herself. She heard a noise outside her window and looked up; Elestra was hovering outside looking in on her,

_Are you alright? We heard raised voices and Shruiken said that Master had used magic on you,_

Meranda smiled at her and walked over to the window,

_Yes I am fine, he just teleported me back in here. I'm sure he will let me out soon enough,_

Elestra dug her claws into the rock and folded her wings away,

_We cannot stay here little one, Master does nothing but abuse you! This is not the life we deserve, Princesses are supposed to be treated nicely but you are treated like dirt, but your own father!_

Meranda sighed and placed a hand on her cheek, Elestra licked her hand fondly and looked at Meranda,

_You know we have to get away from here Meranda,_

Elestra nuzzled her snout into Meranda's hand,

_I know Elestra but where can we go? Father can easily scry for us, we would be found within a heartbeat, do you really want to face him if we were caught and brought back here?_

Elestra snorted black smoke and shook her head,

_We would fight his servants! Galbatorix would not come after you personally, he never leaves the castle unless it is incredibly important,_

Meranda laughed and looked into Elestra's wide eyes,

_We are barely aloud to leave the castle; he would most defiantly come after us if we left, he would not risk me leaving here, he is too afraid that we will join his enemies!_

Elestra grinned mischievously,

_But what if there was somewhere he hadn't gone before? When I was out on a hunt I discovered an old cave in the Hadriac Dessert, it hasn't been explored in centuries and we would both fit inside comfortably, please Meranda, I really do not want to stay here and I know you don't either,_

Meranda looked around her room, it was a crazy idea thinking that they could leave without her father noticing until it was too late, but like Elestra said she hated it here. Meranda was a very unpredictable girl, there was always something that she would do that could surprise you,

_Alright then Elestra, we can try. But don't say I didn't warn you if we are caught,_

Elestra smiled at her and jumped off the building so she was hovering against the window. She let Meranda climb onto her back and kicked off from the wall hard, with a few powerful beats from her wings they were way out of eyesight and still climbing, Elestra glided lazily through the air and stretched. Meranda could do nothing but smile, but in the back of her mind she knew that at any moment her father would walk into her room and see that she was not there, plus she had nothing with her, no clothes, no money, but as Elestra was her dragon she could see into her mind, she had already thought of this,

_Meranda you are very skilled in magic, you can just conjure up whatever we need, we will not be there for long, I'm sure we will find a more permanent place to live once the searches have died down,_

But Meranda still wasn't sure. She still believed that something could go incredibly wrong. After a few hours of flying the moon was well into the sky and Meranda was getting tired, just after she had drifted off she felt a nagging probe inside her mind,

_Wake up! We are here,_

Meranda opened her eyes and looked around. Elestra had landed in front of a large cavewith an opening that she could just fit through. Meranda jumped off her back and walked into the cave, her footsteps echoed around but that was the only sound in the cave, there was no other signs of life anywhere. Elestra snorted proudly and sat down on the stone floor heavily; Meranda lay down at her side and closed her eyes,

_We will have to stay here for a while, Father is sure to know that we are gone by now and he will we searching for us, on the ground and in the skies. We will have to be carful for the next few days alright?_

Elestra smiled, looking down at Meranda happily,

_As you wish little one, but rest for now. I will keep guard,_

But Meranda was already asleep. She was exhausted from worrying about all the things that could go wrong, she just knew that they would be found, _why did I agree to this?_ She thought to herself, _Even I don't know what is going to happen if we are found,_

Deep into the night Elestra heard a rustle outside the cave, she squinted her eyes as saw that there was a tiny bird standing at the foot of the cave, she curled her top lip back into a smile, _it's only a bird, and what harm can a bird do?_ She mused, but Elestra should have worried more about it, birds were not common in the Hadriac dessert, she should have been more wary as to why is was there, especially if she had suspected that it's job was to be there…


	3. Story Of My Life

Chapter 2: Story Of My Life

When Meranda awoke the next day she was laying on the cold stone and Elestra was nowhere in sight, she looked around and stood up, stretching her aching legs,

"She's probably out hunting,"

Meranda told herself. She didn't like being somewhere like this on her own, especially after just one night of running away. She walked over to the mouth of the cave and looked out. The sun was just rising above the horizon, turning the sand a pinky-orange colour, there was something flying in the distance but to Meranda it looked like a small bird because it was so far away, but it was flying at a tremendous speed because it was getting progressively bigger quite quickly. After a few moments it no longer looked like a small bird, but a flying dragon. Meranda smiled to herself, she recognised the form as Elestra. The huge white dragon landed at the mouth of the cave and looked down at her rider, her eyes wide with fear. Meranda frowned, she knew what Elestra was about to tell her but she hoped it wasn't true,

_Please tell me you weren't spotted,_

Meranda asked but she knew by Elestra's reaction to the question that it was true,

_I so sorry! I had just caught a deer when I noticed something on the ground far away, it only looked like a large deer so I got ready to fly towards it and it jumped into the air and started to fly towards me! I panicked and flew off; I think I lost it though,_

Meranda put a hand on Elestra's side to try and calm her down,

_You hate me don't you?_

Came Elestra's frightened voice, Meranda looked into her eyes and sighed,

_No I don't hate you Elestra. I just wish that sometimes you would be carful. Now tell me, what did the thing look like?_

Elestra walked further into the cave and sat down, folding her wings away,

_Well it was big, and when it was got closer it looked so much like a dragon. But it couldn't have been because I doubt Shruiken and your Father would go out of the castle, it wasn't Murtagh and Thorn because the colour of the Dragon wasn't red,_

Meranda scratched her head and climbed into Elestra's saddle,

_Well if you think it was a dragon then we had better leave now. It might have followed us here last night and waited to get you on your own, we should probably fly near the clouds, the sunlight reflects off you but if we are in the clouds hopefully we will blend in,_

Elestra nodded and kicked off the ground with her powerful legs, they were flying straight up, trying to avoid sunny spots as much as they could. From far below them they heard a loud roar, Elestra looked up at Meranda,

_That was a dragon! Oh, Meranda they are following us!_

But Meranda wouldn't give up, she was determined to out fly the dragon and it's rider,

_Elestra remember what Shruiken taught you about wind gusts, that if you are at the right angle you can cut through two gusts of wind incredibly quickly? Try and do that, it might give us a little more speed,_

Elestra stretched her wings out fully to she was lying completely flat in the air, she tilted a little to the left and the wind seemed to split in two, pushing them forward. Meranda smiled and tried to listen out for the dragon again but she couldn't hear it, suddenly, a probe tried to break into her mind, weaving its way around the steal walls Meranda had just put up. Elestra roared loudly and joined minds with Meranda's to make the wall stronger, soon the probe gave up. Even though Meranda had been taught by her father about how to protect her mind whoever that person was, was incredibly strong, she decided it was the rider and its dragon together. After hours of flying Elestra began to slow down,

_Meranda please, I must land, I am getting tired and I don't think I can keep up this speed for long,_

_Alright, I don't think we are being followed anymore. But we will have to hide in another cave again,_

Elestra angled down and then levelled of just below the clouds, soon she could see another mountain and when she looked closer there was an opening for them. She flew straight down like an arrow and landed softly inside,

_We can't stay here for long Elestra, so recover your strength then we will have to find a way out of the Hadriac Dessert,_

Just as Meranda was about to dismount Elestra two arrows pierced her arms, they must have been soaked in some sort of poison because Meranda could feel her strength flowing out of her. Elestra looked back at her and roared but before she could catch her, Meranda slid of her back and fell off the edge of the mountain. Elestra looked down to try and see where she was and she found her, the other dragon and caught her in its mouth and was looking up snarling at her. Elestra opened her jaws as wide as they would go and roared, letting out a jet of pure white flame. The dragon and its rider dodged it just in time, the rider looked up and Elestra with grim eyes,

"Impressive Dragon, but I wouldn't try it again if you want your rider to live. Now, tell me your name,"

Elestra arched her back and looked into his eyes; she flew down to the ground and stood in front of him, snarling. His dragon was a lot bigger than herself but didn't feel intimidated,

_How about you tell me yours first, I want to know the name of the people, who will die shortly,_

The dragon stood up to its full height and clawed the ground,

_I will tell you my name, but after that you will not harm either me or my rider,_

Elestra tilted her head, the other dragon was female also, but she was older than herself, she was probably about a year old,

_Alright I promise, just please, don't hurt Mer…My rider,_

The dragon came down from its height and put its head level with Elestra's,

_My name is Saphira and this is my rider Eragon. Mer... That is part of another name… _

Saphira's eyes widened and she growled loudly,

_The one I hold in my jaws is Meranda, you are her dragon Elestra! She is the king's daughter! _

Elestra grunted,

_Not anymore, so you are Saphira and this is Eragon I presume,_

Eragon jumped down of Saphira's back and walked over to her mouth; Saphira opened her jaws and let Eragon take Meranda out of her mouth,

"Well done Elestra, you are smarter than our people make you out to be, but tell me, why are you both out here? Why are you not with your traitor of a king and his disgusting servants?"

Elestra watched as Eragon pulled the arrows out of her arm then blinked slowly,

_Because if we had stayed there any longer it would have been only a matter of months before Meranda died,_

Saphira frowned and sat down,

_How would she have died?_

Elestra growled and clawed at the ground leaving deep gauges,

_Galbatorix would have killed her, he is scum, a parasite that you can't get rid of, vermin that just won't die!_

She lifted her head up and roared as loud as she could, Saphira drew her head back in shock; she was amazed that one that young could produce a roar as loud as she could. Eragon watched Elestra, he didn't know if her hate was true or false,

"Why would a Galbatorix kill his own daughter?"

Saphira raised her wing and placed it on Elestra's back; she knew the answer to that question. She listened to the gossip in towns more than he did,

_Because she is no use to him, he didn't think she would be useful to him,_

Elestra frowned and looked at Saphira,

_How do you know that?_

Saphira calmed her voice and looked at Elestra with soft eyes,

_Because that is what Galbatorix is like, all the people of Alagasia know this, they speak of it often. All I have to do is listen tot heir stories and piece the truth together,_

Elestra rested her head on the floor, next to Meranda's sleeping form,

_He never realised that I would need her around,_

Eragon climbed back onto Saphira and looked down at the dragon,

"I still don't know if I can trust you,"

Saphira turned her head to look at him,

_Then trust me,_

Eragon smiled weakly and turned his gaze to Elestra and Meranda,

"We are travelling to a place where it is certain you will not be welcomed; I don't think that you can come with us,"

Elestra nodded, not taking her eyes off of Meranda,

_I understand, I doubt any place would take us in,_

Saphira snorted,

_We will not be arriving there for quite some time, they can travel to the edge of the borders with us, all we would need to do it get our guides to trust us and them,_

Eragon raised an eyebrow,

"Saphira are you crazy? They never help Galbatorix's daughter!"

While they were arguing Elestra was watching Meranda, the sleeping princess's finger twitched and her eyes began to flicker open, Elestra blew some air into her face to try and wake her up. Meranda opened her eyes and smiled up at her dragon,

"I should have known it was you,"

Elestra laughed and nudged her. Saphira and Eragon had stopped fighting as soon as they had heard Meranda's voice,

"You should have been asleep for hours! That poison could have knocked out a weak dragon,"

Meranda looked up at them, her eyes wide open, and she turned her head back to Elestra,

_What are they doing here? You do realise who they are? I'm guessing they know who we are then,_

Elestra blinked and nudged her again,

_We all know who each other are; they have said they might be able to help us!_

Meranda sat up and rubbed her head and looked at Eragon,

"Elestra says you might be able to help us, is it true?"

Saphira took a step towards Meranda and looked down at her,

_Yes, it is true. I must say that you look like everyone says you do, but you don't look anything like your father?_

Meranda looked up into the powerful dragons eyes,

"That's because I take after my mother more than I do him,"

Eragon watched as Meranda stood up and mounted Elestra,

"We should leave quite quickly, I expect your father has sent people looking for you, but surely he will scry for you?"

Meranda shook her head,

"When I was little he placed a spell on me that prevented anyone from scrying for me, but to his mistake he made it so powerful that he cannot scry for me either, all he would see is just a white space,"

Eragon raised his eyebrows and laughed,

"So even the powerful make mistakes,"

Elestra and Saphira leapt into the air and Meranda looked at him and smiled,

"I wouldn't say he was powerful,"

As the two of them were talking Saphira and Elestra were having their own conversation,

_So how old are you? I don't think you are as old as me but you can't be far off,_

Elestra smiled at her,

_I am 6 months old; you are about a year old aren't you?_

Saphira nodded,

_Yes I am. You're only 6 months? But you fly so well, and you can hold you flame so longer than I could when I was your age,_

Elestra's face turned grim,

_Yes but I doubt you had the same intense training as I did? I started to train when I was about 4 days old,_

Saphira looked at her with shock; even she knew that 4 days was too young for a dragon to start it's training,

_But you were only a baby! That just can't be right!_

But she knew Elestra wasn't lying,

_It was the same for Meranda, when she was about 4 her father and others began to train her. We have had a very active life, barley a moment to ourselves,_

Saphira tilted her head,

_Who else trained her then?_

Elestra's face turned to one of disgust as she remembered the time when Meranda had been telling her this,

_Well there was her father obviously, he had the Urgals teaching her how to fight and their language, Ra'zac for making potions and their language and a handful of shade's taught her other parts of magic and their secret language,_

Saphira roared loudly and looked at Elestra,

_That monster! That is the training she had? She was exposed to that __**slime**__ from such a young age! She must be filled with black magic; this would change everything if our guides found out! Why had neither of you done anything to stop it?_

Elestra sighed; it looked like a single tear was rolling down her cheek,

_What can you do when you have someone like Galbatorix for a Master?_

Saphira was about to reply when a river came into view,

_We shall talk more later, but for now we are almost at camp. I must say now be prepared for the worst,_

Eragon looked at Meranda and sighed,

"Meranda, be prepared for the worst alright? I don't know how the people will react, but I assume you realise that if they don't want you here then you will have to leave,"

Meranda laughed slightly,

"That they story of my life,"


	4. Click

Chapter 3: Click

Eragon and Saphira were the first to land, followed closely by Meranda and Elestra. Eragon glanced over at Meranda and nodded; they both jumped down from their dragons and watched nervously as a group of people walked over to them. They stopped a few yards in front of them and bowed to Eragon but shot a confused look at Meranda, she could tell they were elves by the shape of their ears and how their faces gave the impression that they were made from pale silk. Meranda looked up at Elestra, who had walked back a few steps,

_Elestra they will know who we are!_

_Do not worry Meranda, I have heard that elves listen to both sides of a story before they take judgment on a person, we will be fine,_

But Meranda wasn't convinced,

_We are not just people; we are closely connected to the man that is trying to wipe them out! I don't think they will be very grateful to Eragon for bringing us here,_

Elestra looked down at Meranda and moved her wing closer to her,

_They will listen to us, _

The elves approached Eragon and Saphira, who had stepped towards them and smiled,

"We are glad you are back here safely Eragon and Saphira, who is it you bring with you?"

Saphira turned around to look at Elestra, her eyes filled with comfort and fear, Elestra blinked and lowered her head to Meranda. The leader of the group of elves frowned and looked at Meranda closer,

"I feel as if I have seen you before, what is your name?"

Meranda's heart jumped at the question that lay before her, she had no idea as to how she could answer It. Eragon was about to answer for her when a female elf pushed past the male leader and walked over to Meranda, it was clear that she knew who she was and Meranda knew who she was too, it was Arya,

"Why are you here? I should kill you on the spot!"

Arya growled at her, Meranda felt so much just by standing in front of the elf princess. She had been there when Durza was torturing her for information; Saphira stood behind Arya and sat down,

_Shall we do the questions when we are a bit more well hidden Arya? _

The elf spun around and barked an order at the elves and immediately they followed her. Saphira waited for Elestra to catch up to her and she snorted lightly,

_Do not be so worried, they will trust you if they trust us. I will see no harm come to you or your rider… but I will say now if I do find out that you have tricked us then I will protect you no longer, I hope you understand this?_

Elestra smiled at Saphira and nodded,

_I can promise that this is no trick, and I thank you for your kind words. Even though she will not admit it I know that Meranda thanks you also, it is because of her that I felt we needed to leave, it will not be hard for us to adjust to a new life because we hated the one we had at the castle. I don't think Meranda ever really saw it as her home; it was just a place where she stayed,_

Saphira knew how they both felt because she and Eragon had felt the same when they had first run away. Saphira looked over at Eragon who was talking to Meranda, trying to comfort her and Saphira smiled,

_I think that Eragon will also help to prevent harm coming to you both, he seems to like Meranda though he rarely voices his feelings when it comes to things like that, the last time he did he found that he did not get those feelings in return,_

Elestra looked at Meranda and relaxed, she could tell that Meranda knew what she was doing and trying to please everyone. But it amused Elestra somehow to find out that Eragon liked her rider,

_Well if his feelings are true then I shall make sure that Meranda's choice is fair and reasonable. If it is anything to say now, I think that the feelings may be mutual between them,_

Saphira blinked and smiled, but then a thought came to her,

_If Galbatorix wanted to continue his line of royalty, he would have wanted Meranda to be married, had he already picked someone out for her?_

Elestra grimaced and rolled her eyes,

_Yes, it was Murtagh. He thought that if she married another rider then the chances of their children becoming riders would be greater. Ultimately bringing back the riders so that he could control them,_

Saphira shook her head and glared around her,

_That would be total disaster for us, but now that Meranda is away from him them the chances of that happening have become less?_

_Yes they have, but we need help to resist him. Not many people know this but because Galbatorix is her father he has a power over her that is greater than any magic you could find, they are blood related so there is a little of him in her. It wasn't hard for her to leave him but he can use that connection against her,_

Saphira smiled at Elestra,

_Well like I told you before, as long as I am around no harm will come to either of you,_

Eragon looked at Meranda with wonder. He had expected her to act differently, like she thought that everyone was beneath her because of who she was. He also thought that she would look differently, everyone said that she looked how they pictured her but he didn't. He thought that she would have darker hair and paler, instead of fair hair and tanned skin. He could tell she was quite muscley but she looked weak, he didn't know why. She turned her head to look at him and smiled,

"So where is it you are travelling to?"

Eragon was about to tell her but Arya turned around and shot him a deathly glare,

"I am sorry, I can't say,"

But Meranda just laughed,

"It's alright, I can understand why. I expect you are either travelling to the Varden or Elesmera,"

Eragon gave her a confused look but decided not to ask how she knew, he thought that she had probably entered his mind but she hadn't. They were the only places she could think of that they would not want her to know about. A noise came from high above them and they all looked up, far behind them, way up in the sky there was a black creature with something on it's back flying towards them. Because she wasn't human or Elfish she could see further than all of them, she looked closer and saw that it wasn't a Dragon. There were no scales on its body, it was too skeleton like. The creature opened its mouth and let out a deafening shriek that they all heard. Arya looked at Eragon with a look of frustration on her face,

"That Ra'zac,"

They looked behind them at the creature again; it was closer to them now and still coming closer. The Elves and Eragon had pulled out impressive swords and Saphira turned around in the same direction. Elestra looked at her rider and snorted,

_How could they be here?_

Meranda shook her head and shrugged,

"I have no idea but we have to get rid of them,"

Eragon looked at Meranda,

"Why do you think we have our weapons? Why aren't you getting ready to fight?"

Saphira nudged Elestra who was just looking up into the sky,

_Maybe you should just hide,_

But Elestra just shook her head and picked Meranda up by her teeth and threw her into the saddle,

_We will fight them in the sky; it should be easier up there,_

Meranda nodded and a sword appeared in her hand. The blade was made of white diamond fading into black diamond and the handle was pure silver, Meranda looked down at Elestra and smiled,

_Hopefully this might gain their trust,_

Elestra laughed and took off. As the Ra'zac got closer Elestra quickened her pace. The two creatures crashed into each other and began to kick, scratch and bite whatever part was closer, Elestra bit into the side of the steed and thick black blood dripped our from the wound, the creature nosedived towards the ground and landed heavily, barley being able to support its weight with it's fading strength. The Ra'zac jumped down and looked at Meranda furiously; Eragon and Saphira flew over to them being closely followed by the Elves. The Ra'zac turned around and drew out its sword but before it could do anything Meranda had thrown a ball of white fire at it. It fell to the ground but stood up again and turned to face her,

"Afterr everything we taught you thiss iss how youu repay uss? Your father will be mosst displeased to hear about this Princesss… "

Meranda didn't say anything; she just sat on Elestra's back with her sword drawn looking at it. The Ra'zac grinned and began clicking its tongue at her, Eragon recognised that as its own language but he couldn't figure out why he was talking like it to Meranda, but she soon answered his question. She began to make the clicking noises back, as fluently as she could speak the normal tongue she was communicating with the Ra'zac. The Ra'zacs steed managed to stand up and flung itself at Elestra but she jumped aside and pinned it down by its neck. Meranda jumped down from Elestra and walked over to the Ra'zac; she put a hand on its head and snapped its neck as easy as you would break a twig. The thing dropped to the ground just as Elestra had gauged a hole in its steed's neck. Eragon and the others just looked at the pair of them,

"Well… I suppose that made sure that it would not tell the king,"

Arya said quietly,

"We should probably get out of here now, there will be more coming and we don't want to be here when they do,"

One of the male elves said. As they turned around and began to run off into a group of trees Eragon put a hand on Meranda's shaking shoulders and smiled at her,

"Do not worry; I'm sure they will trust you a little better, but you being able to talk to them don't really help with your case,"

Elestra looked down on him and snorted,

_You would not being saying that if you knew what she had said,_

Saphira smiled down at them and let Eragon climb onto her back,

_I think I have a pretty good idea,_

Meranda climbed onto Elestra's back and they followed the elves into the trees, trying to find protection.


	5. Want To Know

Chapter 4: Want To Know 

When they reached the trees Arya and the other elves sat down and looked at Meranda,

"Meranda I'm going to be frank, we don't know if we can trust you because of what we just saw,"

Meranda shifted uncomfortably in Elestra's saddle and stiffened,

"What you saw was me killing a great enemy of you, killing something that has been around me for years. Now I'm not going to lie to you, I hated being where I was, I have always wanted to not be who I am and I can't change that. But when you have to kill something that has been around you, protected you for your entire life it is going to be hard, even if it is one of the things you hate most,"

Eragon sat down beside Arya and she carried on speaking,

"We do not doubt your heart Meranda, but you being able to speak their language? Throwing fire balls? We really do need you too answer our questions if we are going to even consider taking you with us,"

Meranda looked down at Elestra with questioning eyes,

_What should we do? We need them to trust us but if we answer their questions we may say something that could jeopardise our chance for a new life,_

Elestra turned her head around to look at Meranda and flicked her tongue out so it lightly hit a small part of her cheek,

_IT is a chance we are going to have to take, if you really don't want to then we can turn around now but that would be it for us,_

Meranda smiled and jumped down from Elestra's back to stand beside her,

"Alright then, we will answer your questions, but I hope you are ready for what you may find out,"

Saphira sat down beside Eragon and smiled, Eragon leaned against her and laughed,

"I doubt that there is anything that we don't already know about,"

Elestra grinned,

_You might be surprised,_

Arya looked at one of the elves then back at Meranda,

"How many languages can you speak?"

Meranda blinked then counted them in her head,

"I can speak four: the Common Tongue, Ancient Language, Shade and Ra'zac,"

A few of the elves muttered but Arya carried on,

"What about Elestra?"

"The same as me, we were taught them so we could communicate with the different races we would be working with,"

Arya tilted her head a little,

"I don't understand, I doubt that your father would have planned what happened to you if he died,"

Elestra rolled her eyes and lay down; Meranda sat next to her,

"Maybe its best if we tell you everything from the beginning,"

When they had all nodded Meranda looked at Elestra and sighed,

"So much for secrets, as you know my father is Galbatorix but who my mother is, I don't know. She was not human, she sailed to this land with her people and fell in love with my father, but when her people found out they banished her so that she was forced to live with Galbatorix. After I was born they started having loud arguments that would last for hours, most of the time they just shouted at each other but some times they would use magic against each other. Because my mother wasn't human she could use magic so much better than my father, so one day when they were having an argument he managed to get Shruiken involved, they both killed her within an hour people have told me,"

Meranda looked over at Eragon who was looking at the floor; she knew that he had heard that story many times,

"After that my father was left to raise me. At first he was nice, he felt guilty for killing my mother and did try to make it up to me, but after a while his mood changed, he became more angry and violent. When I reached the age of 4 he decided I was old enough to start learning magic, he wanted me to be as powerful as I could be so he asked Ra'zac and Shades to help him. He always told me that he was harsh to try and make me stronger, so that I would be ready for what was out there. He also sent me to a school for a few months, I was taught how to read and write but I hated it. I was there with all the noble peoples children, I had quite a few friends but that was only because of who I was, no one ever really liked me for who I was, when I told Galbatorix he told me that he thought it was all a waste of time and pulled me out so I just carried on with my magic. My training was hard but I found that it came easy to me because of my parent's skill with magic, but 6 months ago everything changed,"

Arya looked at Meranda and sighed,

"Was that when Elestra was born?"

_Yes it was. Galbatorix lied to Alagasia for so many years about how many eggs were left, when the thief broke into the manor where the eggs were kept he found out that there were more than 3, but someone found him and tried to wipe his memory but he only got as far as erasing his knowledge of me before the thief ran away. Galbatorix wanted Meranda to have a dragon of her own so it would increase the chances of her children being riders, I remember it was a warm night when I hatched. I was in a big room with a long table and chairs. I felt Meranda touch my egg and I knew it was her, when I first opened my eyes and saw her; the only thing I knew was that she was my rider. The door was thrown open and I saw an old man striding into the room and he looked down at me smiling, he picked me up and walked out of the room with me, I turned around to look at Meranda, I was confused. You see he didn't want many people to know that Meranda was a rider because he wanted it to be a surprise, but he quickly remembered that Eragon had Saphira and then he decided to tell the whole of Alagasia, too make them believe that he was bringing back the Forsworn. From four days old I began my training, Shruiken was teaching me how to fly, fight and hunt. After a few weeks I was introduced to Thorn,_

Saphira snarled and looked at her,

_I bet he was all over you! The slime!_

Meranda and Elestra both laughed,

_The first thing we did when we saw each other was fight, of course I didn't win because I was too small but I did the most damage, if you ever fight him there is a scar all the way down his tail,_

"That is where she clawed him when I was trying to pull her off him; she really dug her claws in to him,"

Elestra extended a front leg to show the sharpest talons any of them had ever seen,

_You see because of the environment I grew up in you may find that my teeth could be sharper and so are my talons, we don't know why this is, it's just how we are. Galbatorix planed that __**if**__ he ever died or stepped down then we would take his place, by that time he would have reinstated the forsworn and have a massive army of men, Shades, Ra'zac and he hoped of even have elves,_

Arya shook her head violently,

"We would never join him!"

"But that is what he envisioned the future to be, and we were to be apart of it. The only real purpose we had to him was to kill the people who opposed him…"

Eragon looked up from the ground,

"Your purpose was to kill? That was the only thing he thought you were good for?"

Meranda nodded slowly and sighed, she rested her elbow on her knee and her head in her hand. Eragon looked up at Saphira, who looked at them both,

_So I guess that it would be pretty easy for you too kill us right now,_

Meranda looked away from them and Elestra shifted,

_The only answer to that is yes, but we want. That if the life we want to get away from, there must be more to life than power, money and death,_

Eragon sat up straight,

"Believe me, there is. It just takes a while to see it,"

Meranda laughed,

"I hope so. I used to sit on my window sill and wonder what life would be like outside the castle, away from everyone I just never really had the courage to leave, until the night I left…"

Elestra rested her head on Meranda's shoulder and she sighed. A male elf watched her with wonder,

"What happened that night?"

"Well Elestra and Thorn were fighting and Shruiken way trying to stop it but they were all being really loud, father had told me that it was my job to try and calm the dragons down because I always managed to do it. I met Murtagh on the stairs and he didn't really say much so I just went up to see them, a few moments after I got there father came in and told me that he needed to talk to me, we went down into an un used room and he started to have a go at me saying that I should respect him, he threatened to kill me then teleported me to my room, that was when we decided we had had enough,"

Saphira snorted,

_He threatened to kill you?_

Meranda nodded and scratched patterns into the dirt,

"He said that he could make Alagasia believe that my death was natural, that it wasn't suspicious,"

Saphira snorted again, but more viciously,

_That man should not be able to be called a father,_

Meranda shrugged,

"Well he is, even if it is wrong,"

Arya turned around and whispered something to the elves around her, they said something back and she nodded,

"Well Meranda, you have told us enough. There are still some things we wish to know but we know more than enough for now and we think that we can trust you, but mark my words. If you step out of line even just slightly then you cannot stay here with us anymore,"

Elestra grinned at Meranda as she smiled,

"Thank you,"

The elves stood up, they put up their tents and started to get ready to sleep. When all the lights were out in the camp Saphira and Eragon walked over to Elestra and Meranda and sat down beside them,

"Well you can stay for now, that is a good thing. After we will just have to persuade the leaders of our destination to let you stay,"

Eragon said smiling at Meranda, Elestra looked at Saphira and laughed,

_I have a feeling that will be so much harder_

_Oh trust me, it will be,_

Saphira and Elestra rolled on their sides and let their riders lay by their warm under-bellies and lay their wings over them and fell into a peaceful sleep.


	6. Thank You

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5: Thank You

When Eragon awoke he slid out from under Saphira's wing and looked around, Meranda and Elestra weren't lying beside them anymore, they were sitting at the edge of the trees. Eragon approached them and sat down beside Meranda,

"Are you two alright?"

She turned her head to him and smiled,

"Yes we are fine thank you, just talking about things,"

By that point Saphira had woken up and started to stretch, her wings took up most of the clearing, Eragon and Meranda laughed as she walked over to them frowning,

_What is so funny?_

They stopped laughing and Eragon got up to hug her neck,

"You are, if you were anymore bigger you would have taken up the entire clearing just with your wings,"

Saphira blinked and shook her head,

_Strange pair,_

Meranda smiled and watched as the elves emerged from their tents and began to pack up,

"Why do we have to leave straight away?"

A male elf that Meranda had been introduced to as Lennar turned his head to face her,

"Because we must keep moving, we are expected any day now and we will have to move quickly if we are to evade the king's spies,"

When the last of the equipment was packed up Eragon and Meranda mounted their dragons and they set off again. Lennar walked beside Meranda and looked up at her,

"Meranda, yesterday when you had told us about your training and things I began to wonder something,"

She looked down at him and spoke calmly,

"What was that then?"

"When you fought the Ra'zac earlier you did not show the fighting skills you had described to us, why is that?"

Eragon and Saphira who were walking on the other side on Lennar both looked at Meranda,

"It is because I didn't need to show my full power, I only use it if I really have to. I can hardly say that fighting two creatures like that a life threatening situation,"

Eragon smiled,

"So what would you call a life threatening situation, I think most of the people here would think facing a Ra'zac is pretty dangerous,"

Elestra grinned and raised her head,

_It's only dangerous if you don't know their weak points. A life threatening situation to us would be fighting large amounts of creatures that can use magic quite well or facing Shruiken and Galbatorix alone,_

Lennar looked forward and thought for a moment

"What about Thorn and Murtagh?"

But Meranda shook her head,

"He neglected his training for so many years, I don't think he even knows a quarter of what I do, even though Thorn is bigger than Elestra she is more agile and can fly a lot faster than him,"

Meranda looked over at Eragon, who was looking down at his saddle,

"Don't worry Eragon, I know that if Murtagh had a choice he would much rather be away from there, but he has taken oaths, he cannot leave now, we may be able to find some way to break the oaths,"

Lennar looked up at her appalled,

"You cannot say that! There is no way you can break an oath that was made in the ancient language!"

Saphira smiled cheekily,

_What if the oath wasn't taken in the ancient language?_

Elestra smiled at her and Meranda laughed,

"Exactly,"

Eragon smiled sadly at her and sighed. Arya called Lennar forward and they began speaking very quietly and vey quick. Meranda looked down at Elestra and shrugged, after a few sharp words Arya and Lennar walked back to Meranda and looked up at her,

"We are nearly the end of our journey and we don't know what to do with you, you have proven yourselves to us but you need to prove yourselves to your royalty and she is not easily won over, it is best you meet with her in private. We have sent a creature to ask her to meet us at the borders of our land so that she can talk with you alone,"

Meranda frowned,

"Why should it be alone?"

"Because if you are surrounded by out people then she might be persuaded by their judgment, but if you manage to persuade her before they see you she can talk them around, everything just lies in the balance of how she reacts to you,"

Meranda looked over at Eragon and groaned,

"We don't have a chance,"

They dismounted their dragons and sat down just inside the trees of a dense forest, Eragon put his hand over Meranda's to reassure her,

"Yes you do, she is a fair lady and she will listen to you, just don't say anything wrong and you will do fine,"

Elestra raised her head and caught Saphira's eye,

_I think we were right,_

Saphira grinned, being careful to not let the two riders see them.

_I think we were!_

Meranda smiled softly,

"But how will we know what is the right and wrong thing to say?"

"Just don't be disrespectful to her, that is all,"

Arya, Lennar and the other Elves quickly stood up and bowed down low, Meranda and Eragon turned around to see who they were bowing to, Eragon quickly followed and bowed down also. A woman was standing behind them looking down on each of them, she had a regal appearance to her and Meranda guessed that she was a queen,

"Arya, my daughter, why do you ask me to come out here, so urgently? Why didn't you just come to Elesmera?"

Meranda's and Elestra's mouths dropped open,

_Elesmera Meranda! We are at the edge of Du Weldenvarden, the home of the elves!_

_We might as well leave now Elestra, we will never be allowed to stay here,_

Arya come out of the bow and stood up straight,

"My queen Islanzidi, we need to ask something of you, something that we could never normally do but the circumstances are so unique that we must,"

The queen smiled at her daughter,

"What is it you ask my daughter?"

Arya turned around to face Meranda and Elestra who were now standing beside each other, when the queen looking where her daughter was pointing her face changed dramatically. First it had a look of intense anger, then pain and finally disbelief. She walked over to Meranda and stood in front of her,

"I am thinking that you have a reason as to why you are here, daughter of the king,"

Meranda didn't look at her but she still answered,

"Yes we do your majesty, we wish to join your forces, and we wish to seek refuge with you,"

Islanzidi looked at Arya and blinked in disbelief,

"My child, how could you bring them here?"

Arya stepped forward,

"They have proved their trust to us dear Queen, they defeated the Ra'zac and she submitted to telling us everything… At least everything that we wanted to know,"

Meranda looked up at her and Elestra stepped back slightly,

_They told us that you would listen to our case and then decide the best course of action,_

Islanzidi looked at Elestra and smiled,

"If you saved my daughter than I am most grateful to you both but I am not sure that it is wise you stay with us, my people will not welcome you,"

Eragon stood beside Meranda,

"You would be able to convince them your majesty, they listen and respect you! Please, will you just listen to what they have to say?"

The Queen sighed and looked at Meranda and Elestra, she motioned for them to follow her and they did, Saphira looked at Elestra and smiled weakly,

_Good luck,_

The Elf Queen led them away from the main group and sat them down by a river,

"If I am to let you stay with us then there are a few things I need to know before I make my mind up,"

Elestra moved into a more comfortable position,

_Like we told the others, we will tell you most things, but there are some things that we must keep a secret,_

She smiled and nodded,

"I understand perfectly, I just need to know that we are not going to take you in and then be tricked,"

Meranda shook her head,

"We would never trick you, we have waited for so long to get away from the castle, we had a chance and we took it, we would prefer it if we never had to go back there again,"

Islanzidi smiled at them, she knew what this girl and her Dragon had been through,

"I know most things about you, Meranda and Elestra and I'm sure whatever I don't know my daughter will tell me, however I don't understand why you came here. Surely you would have known that my people would not take kindly to having the King's daughter here,"

Meranda looked up at Elestra and sighed,

_Because there is no where else for us to go, Eragon and Saphira found us just after we had run away. They said that we could go with them but we would have to make our own way afterwards, when the Ra'zac attacked we had no choice, they asked us to come here with them,_

"We understand what my father has put you through; I cannot make up for it or change the past but I can make sure that I don't turn out like him,"

Islanzidi listened to their reasoning and desperate plea's. There was something about them, a deep yearning for something but she couldn't quite figure it out, the Queen thought for a moment then looked at the young dragon and her rider,

"Alright my dears, you may stay with us, but not for long. My people will not take kindly to having you around… But I suppose people can surprise you,"

Meranda smiled and bowed to her and so did Elestra; they walked back to the main group and watched as they stood up one by one,

"Meranda and Elestra can stay with us, it will be difficult and a long process but the people will accept her soon enough,"

Eragon smiled and Saphira and he walked up to Meranda and Elestra,

"Well that's a bit of good news isn't it?"

He said to them, Elestra grinned and nodded

_Yes it is!_

From behind them came the sharp order to follow, Elestra and Saphira jumped into the sky and flew off, Meranda watched her go and frowned,

"Eragon, where are they going?"

He smiled at her, seeing the confusion in her eyes,

"Our dragons will not fit along these narrow pathways. Don't worry, Saphira wont let anything happen to Elestra,"

Their eyes met for a brief moment, a strange feeling went from Eragon's head right down to his toes; he had only ever felt like that once before. Meranda's lips curved into a perfect smile,

"Thank you,"


	7. Night Life

Chapter 6: Night Life

Chapter 6: Night Life

As Meranda looked away from him, Eragon smiled. He didn't know why he was smiling, he just was. In the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't like her like he did but he couldn't help it. It was just something about her that amazed Eragon, her smile, her eyes, everything! Saphira's trail of thought entered his head; he knew that if she was with him Saphira would be smirking,

_You like her don't you,_

_Saphira! _

He could feel amusement coming from her; he knew that she was only teasing him

_How long have you known?_

Saphira thought for a second, remembering when she and Elestra had talked about it,

_A day I think, don't worry. I'll keep your secret to myself, little one,_

_Thank you, Saphira..._

He said to her just as she left his mind. Eragon knew that he could trust Saphira with most things that he told her, it felt good to have told someone about how he felt. Meranda was looking around the forest, she had never been inside it but she had been near it. There was so much mystery surrounding it and its inhabitants, all she knew of the elves was what her father had told her, and that wasn't a lot. She looked over to Islanzidi and Arya who were talking in low voices. Meranda knew that it wouldn't be easy to get the elves to trust her; she had no clue as to how to even talk to one of them! It felt as if they had been walking for hours, the rushing of water could be heard but it felt like a lifetime before they saw it. They could hear the soft songs of the birds in the trees but that was about it, the roar of the waterfall took it all over. The elves stopped and unpacked the tents again, but Meranda was confused,

"Excuse me but its still daylight? Why are we going to rest now?"

Eragon looked at her and laughed, it was obvious she had not lived outside in the wild in her life, but why would she have needed to? She had a castle and servants to attend to her every need; he still didn't fully understand why she had left,

"We rest because we enter Elesmera at night, it will be safer for us and anyway, the sun is almost set,"

Meranda looked up at the sky through the tree tops and saw that he was right. She looked back down and shrugged, the elves had finished un-packing their tents, the camp was looking almost ready but to Meranda something felt missing, and she knew what it was,

"Eragon, can Elestra and Saphira land here or is it still too narrow?"

Eragon looked around, he too wanted his dragon by his side, and he knew how she felt. Eragon decided that there was enough space for the two dragons, he needed to talk to them anyway and preferred to do it while they were with him,

"No, I think there is enough room. Wont know until we try though,"

Meranda grinned and looked up, their two dragons floated over their heads and landed softy on the ground. Saphira walked to Eragon and Elestra walked to Meranda. She lowered her head and nuzzled Meranda's cheek,

_Hello again little one, _

_Hey Elestra, have fun flying?_

She nodded enthusiastically,

_It was so much fun! Saphira taught me loads about how to camouflage in my surroundings and some stuff that even Shruiken and My Master didn't know, they must have had training by someone great!_

Meranda laughed as she hugged her neck,

_Yes, they must have done!_

Saphira walked over to Eragon and lay down next to him; she still had a huge grin on her face,

_Hello Eragon, having fun?_

He hit her side lightly and smiled, his cheeks slightly turning pink,

_Oh shush you! I need to talk to you and Elestra,_

Saphira looked down at him,

_But not Meranda?_

_What do you think?_

She laughed and nuzzled him,

_Alright, I'll see if one of the elves can talk to her,_

_Thank you Saphira,_

She nodded and stood up; Eragon watched her go hoping that she wouldn't tell the elf why she wanted him to talk to Meranda. The elf nodded and bowed, he walked to Meranda and began to talk to her, and Elestra followed Saphira over to Eragon and smiled,

_Hello Eragon, Saphira said you needed to talk with me?_

Eragon glared at Saphira then looked back at Elestra,

_Uhm, well yes I did,_

_Is it about Meranda?_

Again, Eragon glared at Saphira. Elestra looked down at him, grinning mischievously,

_Do not be mad at her, I figured it out, Saphira just told me some parts I hadn't figured out,_

_Does she know this?_

Elestra shook her head and Eragon let out a slight sigh of relief,

_Meranda doesn't see things like that unless it totally obvious,_

_So Eragon, what do you want to know about Meranda?_

Saphira asked him, all Eragon could do was look at the floor. He didn't know really, he just wanted to know about her but he knew most of it. Elestra smiled and lay down,

_You probably know it all but I shall tell you a few things that you might not. Meranda hides her feelings well from all except me, most of the time. She doesn't react well to being forced into things, so giving her time is a good idea. Once you get to know her more and she learns to trust you…both, she will open up to you more. She has to be cautious like this, its how she's stayed alive for so long,_

Eragon nodded as he took it all in, he knew that he would have to wait but he didn't think he could. But he didn't want to jeopardise even just a friendship with her so he decided to take Elestra's advice, after all, who knew Meranda better than her own dragon? Saphira looked at Elestra,

_Is that all you can tell us?_

Elestra smirked and lowered her head,

_That is the only things you won't know about Meranda. Her life is probably one of the most talked about in Alagasia, but some things I really can't tell you, for they are private to only her and I, only she can tell you those things when she is ready._

Saphira nodded ten turned to Eragon,

_Is that enough for you?_

He smiled back at her, it was the only answer she needed. Elestra turned her head to look at Meranda, who was happily talking to the elf, Meranda looked at Elestra and grinned. She knew that her rider was feeling safe for once in her life and this made her happy. The sun was falling fast and the days travel had made them weary. Islanzidi looked at their group who were sitting down, scattered about the place,

"Come on, we should rest. If we are to reach Elesmera while it is still dark we shall have to wake up early,"

Elestra padded over to Meranda and lay down, she rolled onto her side and Meranda lay a blanket down on the ground and lay on it. Elestra closed her wing over Meranda and smiled,

_We will be there soon, they will accept us._

_We can only hope! _

Then there was nothing else so say. Meranda drifted off to sleep, without a worry on her mind.

But, far away there was unrest. A red dragon and its rider flew back to their home; waiting for them was a man who had not slept for days. Dark circles were forming under is eyes, but he refused to rest. He vowed he would not rest until his daughter was returned to him,

"Any luck Murtagh?"

The rider jumped down from his dragon and shook his head,

"I am sorry my Lord. She is no where to be found, we truly have looked everywhere,"

The king turned around and stalked away, with a face like thunder. Murtagh dismissed Thorn and followed Galbatorix,

"We will not stop searching! Your daughter will be found and brought back to you,"

But all he got in answer was a deathly glare. Kind Galbatorix was not one who was used to being defied, he knew that his Meranda was an exception to this but he never thought she would run away from her home. The worst thing was, he knew who would have found her and that she would have accepted their help and refuge. As he reached the throne room he took out his sword and brought it down heavily on the chair where his princess sat, Murtagh jumped back in case he decided to use him as a resting place for his sword too. Murtagh did not miss Meranda…much. He had become accustomed to having her around. The king sat down in his throne and thought for a moment, he needed more help to find her. She had already killed two of the Ra'zac and the rest would not go out after her because of it. Shades were also no help; there was only one thing he could do,

"Murtagh, I am going to have to find her myself. She **will** listen to me and she will come home! That girl has gone too far this time; she is going to have to accept her destiny or die,"

That last part made Murtagh stop in his tracks, he knew that Galbatorix could over react sometimes but to kill his daughter? Galbatorix barked orders and within seconds 4 shades came running in to serve their master,

"What is it, oh great King? Have you finally come to your senses and decided to call upon us to help bring back your daughter instead of this Lizard rider?"

The tallest shade said, directing his words at Murtagh, but Galbatorix wasn't pleased,

"Just to remind you Grenisar, I am also a rider of what you would call a lizard. Be Carful of what you say. I have called you because I am going to find my daughter; if you all incompetent people can't seem to do it then I will have to. We prepare to leave tomorrow; I want her back by 3 days sunrise,"

Each shade bowed low and left; Galbatorix turned to Murtagh and growled,

"I will send the Night Life out to listen to the people, to listen for rumours of where she is, she will not get away from me again,"

Murtagh was the one who bowed this time and left the King with his thoughts. Now he had time to think about it he knew he couldn't kill Meranda, she was his daughter and he did love her. He would make her take oaths she couldn't break. One way or another, he would get her back.


End file.
